We were now approaching what is fairly definitely the scenic highlight of this loop hike - a traverse over the top of "The Brothers". The Brothers are several rounded bumps of open granite bedrock, and they afford fantastic views in all directions, as well as offering a bit of fun and easy scrambling as the trail climbs up, over, and down them.
The sun had intermittently returned as the afternoon progressed, and as we hiked over The Brothers, we enjoyed how the ever-changing light created many varied and beautiful scenes.
Now down below 3,000 feet, the continuous snow cover had mostly disappeared, existing only in little hidden hollows and cracks.
courtesy JInnes
A more continuous section of scrambling marked the start of the descent off of the lowest Brother. The snow had now almost entirely gone, and we were back to the sunny and warm fall day we had started with six hours earlier.
Along this section, we met another group of fellow hikers. Or rather, I should say, they met us - by immediately exclaiming "Jenn" as soon as she rounded a corner and into their view. The man in the group had recognized her (and myself) from her appearance in the many Adirondack trip reports on my website.
We had a short but friendly conversation with the three hikers - Roger, Michelle, and Line - then, after a quick photo, we continued on through a now open and mostly deciduous forest.
Roger, Michelle, and Line
The lowest of the Brothers is situated quite close to the trailhead. It therefore was only about another twenty minutes or so of hiking before the line of cars parked at The Garden became visible through the trees.
So, an end to a fine outing in the mountains, and another 4000-footer for Jenn. A good day, even if the peak wasn't official.
Interactive trackmap with photo points - Yard and Big Slide Loop - click map to view
Loop over Yard and Big Slide - Hike Data
Start Time:
7:42a.m.
End Time:
2:12p.m.
Duration:
6h29m
Distance:
17.19 km
(10.68 mi)
Average Speed:
2.7 km/hr
(1.6 mph)
Start Elevation:
1622ft
(494m)
*
Max Elevation:
4269ft
(1301m)
*
Min Elevation:
1610ft
(491m)
*
End Elevation:
1613ft
(492m)
*
* : +/- 75 feet
Total Elevation Gain:
3053ft
(931m)
*
Total Elevation Loss:
3079ft
(938m)
*
* : +/- 75 feet
Elevation Graph
